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The Love of a Child

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking. The sometimes elusive - always present, time. You can’t get back the minutes, hours and days that seemingly pass by in a flash. My most profound memory is my first day at home with my son. I gazed for what seemed like minutes but could easily have been hours at his lovely face.

A friend observed this gaze and commented later to her husband about my loving stare. He tells her - "I know it well". A parent himself he knows the total and complete awe surrounding the manifestation of the miracle that is life. The utter joy shared by the members of the society of parenthood.

Well over 365 days have passed since my son’s homecoming. And yet I can remember it like yesterday. In the midst of my reminiscing I quickly flash forward to today. My son's teacher sends weekly newsletters with pictures so parents can see what our children are up to. My son is depicted as a walking, talking, dynamo; enjoying himself tremendously during the hours away – from me.

When I pick him up from school oft times he clings tightly to my leg as if never wanting to let go. This behavior repeats itself at varying times during our evenings. And I must admit to sometimes becoming frustrated at this behavior; the term “hanging on to coattails” aptly describes my son during these moments. His new found independence has spoiled me, tricked me really, into sometimes forgetting he is still my baby. My little boy, who not long ago was the infant that I barely let get a cry out before running to his side.

I write this to serve as a reminder. There are moments when I wish he would go off and entertain himself and many times he does. But I realize that those minutes he needs to cling to Mommy are important too. They are fleeting. One day I will gaze at him walking out of the door and wish he would cling to me. I will not want to let him go.

Comments

Oh hang on to those moments. I was looking at my 14 year old today. He randomly hugged me after football practice today. It caught me off guard. He wanted me to take him and his buddies to Subway. I was proud that he was not "big" in front of his buddies to give the "old" mom a hug.

Cherish the days you have with the clinging. Store them in your memory. You will pull them out on a rainy day.

I am a big fan of letting your children be clingy if they want to. You will miss it. My 6 year old is growing up so much so fast. I remember when she could not go to sleep without me. She tells me all the time what a big girl she is. She is already running behind her older sisters. I already miss those clingy times.

There are so many transitions we face as moms. I am in the midst of so many realizations with my two oldest at full day school now. Wow. And they are ONLY 7 --- so much more to go through. But it just seems like the blink of an eye, doesn't it?

I LOVE your cakes - I made my SIL one with cotton diapers in April. It turned out well, but MAN it was a challenge! Yours would have been MUCH MUCH easier! :)

And could those grits pictures BE ANY CUTER?? Oh my stars, I just stared and stared at those. LOVED them!

Oh- this is timely for me. My 16 yr. old son and I were sitting close the other day and I looked at him and said, "My goodness you are getting so big! Where's my little "too-too man"? He responded, "He's right here, Mom, here's right here." Then he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Now, I'm going to boo-hoo again.

I was just remembering Tlanta to a friend today, telling her about The Varsity. I spent my 4 highschhol years in Marietta.Thanks for stopping by today and making me the Queenie of Blog Crack. Love you Patootie Cakes.

Can I ever relate..someday I could just loose my mind. I cannot even go to the bathroom alone. I know how important the cuddle and the snuggles are to children though. I remind myself that he was once my 7lb darling. I cannot pick him up and swing him in my arms but I can fill him with love.

I remember vividly my first moments, first days with both my kids. One's almost 12, the other almost 16.

The thing is, for all the moments you don't spend together, you have many more that you do. And it's in those moments together that you find treasures.

Because your son is of "that age" where he's starting to get clingy, you'll have small battles on getting him to let go when you drop him off, when it's time for bed. Just remember that he loves you and you love him and this too shall pass. You'll both grow and learn and love.

I love that I can read about these moments between you two because it brings to mind all those cherished memories of my children's earliest years. Great reflecting material!

Well Renee..you made me cry at 5:53 in the morning. Yes, there will come a time when he's going to say he's a "big boy" ( how strange you should post this today) and gone are his "childish" ways.

What I wouldn't give for a few yesterdays of clinging . I know sometimes it's hard and that's only because we're human ( although I've seen some mommy cats do some ferocious slappin to their clingy babies!) and we usually live in the moment.

The moments that you spend in mesmerized gazing are the ones that live forever in your heart.I think you must be one wonderful mommy and he's a very fortunate little boy!

So true. I think of this at least weekly, although sadly, not always when I SHOULD take heed. It is such a mixture of emotions to watch your kids grow...there's obviously pride and excitement in their accomplishments and milestones, but there's also the sadness that as they pass these markers of life, those times are gone for good (it's the first day back at school for my kids today--can you hear the melancholy? lol)

It doesn't end, as far as I can tell. My six-year-old is still the same way. Sometimes, he's a mini-man and others, he's still my clingy baby boy. So, you, too, may have more of the same to look forward to as he gets older. :-)

It gets away from us. The days slip past and we're caught up in all these details. My mother-in-law tells me everytime I'm looking through her photo albums that she always thought she'd be that young mom with her children gathered around her. Then in a blink she wasn't. Unfortunately it's hard to enjoy every second, reminding ourselves to is the trick.

I also find myself getting slightly frustrated when my kids are clingy, but then realize that I dread the day when they aren't anymore. We have to appreciate these moments while we still have them--they go too fast!

Mine are 11 and 7. After a while you only get to keep about 5 strong memories from when they were that age. Everyday that do something new and that replaces and old memory. Reminders are important because when you get them all the old wonderful stuff comes rushing in. Leaves a smile so big it could light up the world.

You know, I still remember what I said to my Husband as soon as my first child was born 42 years ago.Cherish every moment with him, he will grow so fast.Thank you for stopping to visit yesterday. It was a busy day and I never got a thing done in the house. Gotta clean today, after I visit each of you.Have a happy Blessed day.

I love that my son still likes to cuddle. I'm dreading the day when he wants to leave the safety of my lap to discover the world (well, I'll be happy he is curious but sad at the same time). Motherhood sure is a melting pot of emotions!

That was really beautiful. I completely feel you on this. My daughter is very much in the clingy phase. Sometimes I wish that she would do her own thing but other times, her little arms around me feel soooo good.